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Neighbor Nightmares
They say ‘love thy neighbor’, but that can be much harder than it sounds and for two in five Americans it can be hell.
A new survey has found that not only do half of Americans currently have a dispute with a neighbor, but 13 percent have MOVED just to get away from someone next door.
As many as two in five reckon they’ve had the misfortune of having a ‘neighbor from hell.’
The poll of 2,000 people across the country, conducted by full service moving company northAmerican® Van Lines , also found that as many as a quarter of Americans have even called the police over an issue with their neighbor.
While 36 percent said they warred over pets, more than a third report having had issues with their neighbor playing loud music, with a quarter saying that they have been woken up by noise.
Other contentious issues causing neighbor tension include the behavior of children, parking, unkempt homes and lawns and disputes over property lines.
Two in five admit they find it difficult to get along with their neighbors - and the same number reckon they have even experienced a ‘neighbor from hell’.
A quarter have called the police on their neighbors, one in five have cursed at them and six percent admit to even getting into a physical altercation.
One in ten admits being afraid of their neighbor, while the same number admit suspecting one of them of having an affair.
Twenty-seven percent believe that they have had their privacy invaded by their neighbors.
While only one in eight claim they actually moved to escape their neighbors, two-thirds say that they have at least considered taking such drastic action.
Problems with neighbors even extend to those ‘neighbors from hell’ throwing rocks at the moving truck on moving day, according to northAmerican drivers.
And if they are lucky enough to have the “neighbor from hell” move, moving day can even be an experience.
One northAmerican driver recalls moving someone with a filthy home and so many pets (often signs of a neighbor from hell) that the furniture needed to be fumigated before putting on the moving truck.
The movers moved the furniture out onto the front lawn for the homeowner to clean up, and instead of doing that he set all his furniture on fire.
“Home should always be a sanctuary, a place where people can relax,” says Andy Kroll, Vice President and General Manager of northAmerican Van Lines.
“Moving can sometimes simply be the less stressful option if you are dealing with the daily stress of a troublesome neighbor. Fortunately, professional moving companies like northAmerican can take make the moving process easier and help the family get a good start in their new neighbourhood.
In terms of how Americans would describe their neighbors, the top term they would use is friendly (47 percent), which may seem promising, but then it is followed by rude (23 percent) in second place and childish (15 percent) in third.
Respondents also had their own fair share of nightmare neighbor tales to tell, including discovering that the neighbors were drug dealers, guns being pulled during verbal disputes and even more than one dog owner having to protect their pet from attempted murder.
One man’s neighbor filed a false police report to have him arrested, while another couple had their neighbor lie about being bitten by their dog, leading to the dog being taken away. One man remembered how a hard-partying neighbor attempted to grill while drunk and subsequently set their garage on fire.
“At northAmerican Van Lines, we understand that moving can be a little stressful. With over 80 years of experience, our professional drivers and crews handle the details of moving so that you can focus more on getting yourself and your loved ones situated in your new neighborhood.”
TOP TEN NEIGHBOR DISPUTE CAUSES
- Pets and animals
- Loud music
- Behavior of children
- Parking
- Property boundaries/fences
- Constant/loud parties
- Visual nuisance (property’s appearance, unkempt lawn, trash etc.)
- Property damage
- Bad smell
- Overhanging branches
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